SEATTLE – Today, Mayor Mike McGinn introduced the latest additions to the city of Seattle’s fleet – five Nissan Leaf electric vehicles. When Mayor McGinn launched his Seattle Jobs Plan in 2010, his two goals were to create a sustainable economy and share prosperity for all. By the end of 2012, a total of 35 Nissan Leafs will be added to the city fleet. The addition of the Leafs and installation of charging infrastructure around the city illustrates progress on both the sustainability and job creation aspects of the plan.

“This is an important investment in our city infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability while creating jobs in Seattle,” said Mayor McGinn. “With a new Nissan dealership just south of downtown, and the development of Seattle’s electric vehicle infrastructure, we are helping create 40-70 well paid sales and service jobs. And this helps the city budget with approximately $1.2 million in sales tax revenue. And with City Light power being greenhouse gas neutral, the residents of Seattle have a transportation option that’s good for the environment, and good for the economy. I’d like to thank all the city staff and our private partners who helped make this investment possible.”

Mayor McGinn was joined by City Councilmember Jean Godden, City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco, and Greg Smith, founder and CEO of Urban Visions and owner of Stadium Nissan.

“Seattle is truly turning a new Leaf. The addition of zero-emission cars to our fleet is one more step toward reducing our carbon footprint. I’m very proud of the many changes we’ve accomplished over the years including all the hard work by City employees and City Light employees who have supported programs like this and continue to make City Light a carbon neutral utility,” said Councilmember Jean Godden, chair of the Finance and Budget Committee.

Seattle is one of a handful of cities participating in the nation’s largest electric vehicle demonstration, the EV Project. With the help of millions in federal stimulus dollars, the city of Seattle is collaborating with Puget Sound local governments, businesses, non-profits, and electric vehicle enthusiasts, to create a robust regional charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

With a federal grant to the Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition, the city of Seattle is installing 22 public charging stations in five locations around Seattle – SeaPark Garage, 609 Sixth Ave.; Pacific Place Garage, 600 Pine St.; Seattle Center, Fifth and Harrison; Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave.; and City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. To date, City Light has permitted 256 charging stations in its service area and estimates there will eventually be 1,000 charging stations in its service area.

Since 2003, when the city of Seattle created its Green Fleet Action Plan, the city has managed its fleets based on the long term goal of having a 100-percent clean and green fleet of light duty sedans. To date, the city’s total fleet of more than 4,000 vehicles is approximately 40 percent clean and green.

There are currently 686 compact sedans in the city’s fleet. Most are assigned to city departments for conducting city business. Of the 35 Leafs, 26 will be part of the city’s motor pool, which has about 70 vehicles including Segways and bicycles. Motor pool vehicles are available on an as-needed basis to employees when conducting city business.